


Holy Guacamole

by JoMouse



Series: Sterek Week 2019 [7]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Don't copy to another site, Fluff, Future Fic, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Kid Fic, M/M, Mutual Pining, Reunions, Sterek Week 2019, SterekHalloween5, Trick or Treating
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2021-01-15 09:48:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21251411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoMouse/pseuds/JoMouse
Summary: Derek runs into an old friend on Halloween.Inspired by that scene of Derek with the kids on Halloween - you know that one.





	Holy Guacamole

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Halloween!!!!!
> 
> It's finally here: the last day of [Sterek Week 2019](http://sterekweek2019.tumblr.com). Today's theme is Halloween!
> 
> I knew that I wanted a story that included the scene with Derek and the children on Halloween, so here it is. If you don't know which one I'm talking about, go [here](https://josjournal.tumblr.com/post/188716118883/bilesandthesourwolf-happy-halloween) and check it out.
> 
> Big thanks to [Marie](http://quietzap.tumblr.com) and Jenn for the betas.
> 
> Also a huge thanks to everyone who has read, kudo'd, and commented on y stories this week! You are the reason I keep writing, so thank you!
> 
> I hope you enjoy this! I had a lot of fun writing it (especially coming up with the costume).
> 
> xx-Joey
> 
> Don't know 'em. Don't own 'em. Don't show 'em.
> 
> I do not give permission for this work or any of my works to be posted in full or part on any other websites (ie Good Reads). Saying that, I don't mind you sharing links on twitter and/or tumblr and would love if you let me know if you do!!!

Derek loved Halloween. He'd  _ always _ loved Halloween. When he was a kid, he'd loved it because of all of the candy. When he was a teenager, he loved being able to wolf out and everybody would think that he was wearing a costume so he could win all the contests and still keep his family's secret. Now, he enjoyed scaring the kids. He knew it made him an asshole, but there were times he really didn't care. Halloween was definitely one of those times.

He was standing by his car outside of the loft, getting ready to go and pick up pizza for the pack and their kids after trick or treating when he was approached by a small group of children. "Trick or treat!" they called up to him and Derek grinned to himself as he reached through the driver's side window to pull out the bag of candy he kept stored inside for the week leading up to Halloween.

Turning back around, he dropped a piece into each bag, smiling down at the two princesses and one...he wasn't quite sure, but the little girl looked incredibly pleased with herself as she held out her Captain America pillowcase, fuzzy white halo bouncing above a headband resting among her deep brown curls. He was so distracted by her costume that he nearly forgot the best part.

Turning back to toss the bag of candy in the vehicle, he let his fangs drop and felt the glow in his eyes before turning around and roaring at the children. The two princesses screeched and raced for the building and he flinched as he thought about the complaints he'd get from the tenants. Shrugging, he turned to get into the car when he felt a tug on the leg of his jeans.

Looking down, he saw the girl in the strange costume staring up at him. His eyes widened in shock. "Yes?" he managed to get out.

"Who did you kill?" she asked, eyes wide with curiosity striking a chord of familiarity with him.

"Excuse me?" He looked around trying to find a parent or someone to claim this strange child with no apparent sense of self-preservation.

"Claudia Cheyenne Stilinski!" he heard hollered from across the parking lot and his heart leapt into his throat at the familiarity of the timber of the panicked voice and the last name.

The little girl grabbed Derek's hand and thanks to his shock was able to drag him across the parking lot. "Dad!" she called. "I found a 'wolf!"

"Dammit," he heard just as the man who had been the boy he never forgot raced around the back of a familiar beat-up Jeep he was surprised he hadn't noticed the second he'd entered the parking lot. "Claudia!" he snapped, stopping when his eyes met Derek's. "Derek."

The little girl looked between them before grinning. "Derek Hale?" she asked but the men were too busy staring at each other to notice.

"What...where...why?" Derek stammered before both their faces broke into grins.

Stiles chuckled and held out a hand for a moment before raising his other arm to pull Derek into a hug. "Long time, Sourwolf," he said into Derek's shoulder, tensing up and starting to pull away when Derek just stood there. "Sorry. Misread the room."

Derek let out a wet laugh and pulled Stiles back to him. "Where the hell have you been?" he asked, not even trying to be subtle about scenting him. He hadn't seen Stiles since he'd left for New York and a job that kept him too busy to return to Beacon Hills very often although the sheriff flew out a few times a year to visit him. Derek hated to admit he hadn't paid much attention to what the pack had to say about Stiles, his wolf feeling abandoned by the boy he'd thought of as his own.

"New York," Stiles said, pulling back and reaching for the little girl. "This is my daughter, Claudia."

"Daughter," Derek repeated. He vaguely remembered Scott mentioning a child, but the thought of Stiles with someone else had been devastating to Derek so he'd left the room after the announcement. He'd done it so many times when the child had been mentioned that the pack stopped bringing her up around him and he'd pushed her existence to the black recesses of his mind. Now as he studied her, studied Claudia, named after Stiles' mother obviously, he tried to find Stiles there but all he could picture was the faceless woman that had gotten the person who'd made him want again.

"Yep," Claudia said, looking up Derek proudly. "Daddy picked me out on Amazon and had me shipped overnight!"

Derek and Stiles groaned at the same time. "Adoption?" Derek asked, attempting to bite back a laugh as his face split into a smile, unsure if from the girl's description or the chance that Stiles was still single, like Derek.

"Yes and Jackson as a babysitter," he said. "Never again."

They stood in silence, awkward until Claudia held a piece of candy up to Derek. "Does this have tree nuts in it?" 

Derek gaped at her. "What does the label say?" he asked when she just kept holding it out to him and he wondered if kids her age could even read and what age she actually was.

"Snickers," she responded. "Duh!"

Stiles laughed as Derek shook his head. "Are you allergic to tree nuts?" 

"She's not, but one of her classmates in New York was, so she always checks," Stiles explained.

"Was? Are they not her classmate anymore?" Derek asked, wondering if something had happened to the other child triggering Claudia's hyper-vigilance that reminded him of Stiles and Scott's asthma. Of Stiles and everyone's health in the pack, to be honest.

"No," Claudia said, frowning before smiling wide. "Jonah isn't my classmate because I'm getting all new ones after we move, but I has his address and Dad says I can send him postcards."

"So, are you visiting your dad before you move?" He hadn't really talked to the Sheriff since he'd retired a few years earlier. He knew John still lived in Beacon Hills; they passed each other on the street sometimes, always waving hello but never stopping to talk for some unknown reason. A voice in Derek's head screamed the reason was now standing in front of him.

"Actually-"

"No!" she said cutting off whatever Stiles was going to say and he snapped his mouth shut. "We're moving in with Pop-pop, but only until we can get our own house! Do you know my Pop-pop? He was the sheriff here!" Before Derek could respond to her rapid fire conversation, she turned to Stiles. "Dad, can we trick or treat some more? I only have half a sack!"

She swung the pillowcase around, nearly hitting Derek in the stomach, but he stepped out of the way at the last moment, bringing himself closer to Stiles who gave him apologetic eyes before returning his attention to Claudia. "Sure thing, peanut. Where do you want to go next?"

"Can we go find Uncle Scott and Amy?" she asked tugging on the bottom of her green shirt decorated with what appeared to be halved avocados and when she turned, her angel wings bumped Stiles' legs.

"Sure, let me just text him to see where he's at," he told her as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Say goodbye to Mr. Hale." Derek's heart clenched; even with all of the distance between them all and the pack, Stiles was still pack and all the other kids called him Uncle Derek.

Claudia whirled around, wings smacking Stiles again and then throwing herself at Derek's legs. "Goodbye, Mr. Hale," she said, squeezing tight.

Derek swallowed against the emotion choking him and the tears burning in his eyes as he knelt to hug her properly. "You know, Scott and Amy are coming to my loft in a little while."

"Really?" she asked and Derek nodded. "How do you know Uncle Scott?"

"He's pack," Derek explained.

"But he's Dad's pack and my pack," Claudia argued. "He's the Alpha." She looked thoughtful, her lips moving as she looked at her father and back at Derek. "Dad, can we go to Uncle Derek's, too?" 

"I thought you wanted to get more candy," Stiles said, chewing his lower lip.

"There's a nursing home a couple blocks over," Derek said, the new title giving a rough edge to his words. "All the residents sit at tables in the cafeteria and pass out candy. There's at least forty of them. We could take her there," he suggested, standing up, startling when a small hand slid into his.

"We, huh?" Stiles commented, a tiny smile curling the corners of his lips as Derek's ears grew warm.

"Or you. I can give you directions or drop you off," Derek stammered. "I was going to get food for later and the home is on the way."

"Come with us, Uncle Derek. Then we'll go get food together," Claudia said, tugging on his hand and pulling him towards the Jeep. "We'll take Dad's car, it's got my booster seat. I have to sit in it until I'm eight or tall. Pop-pop says I'll be tall way before I turn eight."

"How old are you?" Derek asked, letting himself be led away and looking back to see Stiles still standing where they'd left him, the same small smile still on his face.

"I'm six," she said, proudly. "My birthday is August thirty-first and I'm in first grade. I meet my new teacher on Monday. Dad says she's nice, but I don't know her so I don't know if she's nice. Do you think she'll be nice? Do you think she'll like me?" Claudia stopped next to the Jeep and looked up at Derek, her eyes shimmering. "I really want her to like me."

"How could anyone not like you, Peanut?" Stiles said as he walked around to the driver's side of the Jeep, keys in hand, smile tight now. "You've already got  _ Uncle Derek _ wrapped around your finger and he doesn't like anybody." Stiles chuckled, but the words hurt.

"I like you," Derek said without looking at Stiles.

"Is that why you shoved him into walls so much?" Claudia asked as she pulled open the door and scrambled into the backseat. "Dad said that Jonah liked me because he pulled my hair and pushed me on the playground. And he told me that you used to shove him into walls so that must mean you like him. Right?" She looked between Derek and Stiles who were looking at each other through the open doors of the Jeep, neither one moving to climb inside.

"You don't need to be dealing with boys who push you around and pull your pigtails," Derek said as he moved into the seat after Claudia was settled behind him. "They will grow up and be mean boys."

"Are you a mean boy?" she asked, curious.

"No, I was a stupid boy. Now I'm just a stupid man," Derek told her, grinning when she giggled.

"You aren't stupid," Stiles said, getting into the seat.

"Dad says that you like history. Do you like history? I like King Arthur and Merlin. Merlin is my favorite! He's magic like my dad!" 

"Your dad is magic, huh?" Derek teased, surprised by how much Claudia seemed to know about him. 

"He's a Spark and Dr. Deaton says I am too!" She looked proud as she tapped her fingers against her knees. "I just can't do magic yet. Not until I'm old like Dad."

"Hey," Stiles said, mouth turned down in a pout but Derek could see the twinkle in his eyes as he looked at his daughter in the rear view mirror before starting the jeep. "Derek's older than me, so if I'm old, what is he?"

"He's a wolf! They don't get old," she said, voice confident in the explanation and Derek rubbed a hand over his chin to hide a smile. 

"So there," Derek said as he turned to see Stiles watching him. "What?"

"Where are we going?" he asked. "I don't remember a senior citizen community."

"Go up two blocks and take a right. It'll be on the left another few blocks up," Derek explained and Stiles began to drive.

"Wait, the old diner?" he asked. 

"The diner and the building it was in was converted," Derek explained. "Technically the diner is still there and some of the more with it seniors help to run it a couple of days a week."

"Is that the place with the bestest curly fries?" Claudia spoke up from the back seat, poking at her angel wings that were now sitting in her lap.

"Well, it was," Stiles muttered. "Everything changes."

His tone was wistful and Derek turned his attention from the road ahead back to him, but Stiles' eyes were averted to the road, the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown. His hand was moving before he could think about it, laying over Stiles' on the gear shift. He didn't know what he expected, maybe Stiles to jerk away and tell him to get out of the car, but definitely not for Stiles to turn his hand over and tangle their fingers together for a quick squeeze. 

"I'm alright," Stiles whispered, barely loud enough for Derek to hear and definitely nowhere near loud enough for Claudia to hear. "We'll talk later if you want."

Derek nodded as Stiles pulled into the parking lot in front of the center. "You ready for this?" Stiles asked Claudia who was already undoing her seatbelt and waiting for one of them to open a door to let her out. 

"Yes!" she said, waving her wings around. "I have to put my wings back on!"

Derek exited the vehicle, surprised when Claudia crawled out before he could close the door and held the wings out to him. "Help?" she asked and Derek nodded, moving the wings around until he found the elastics that went over her arms and holding them out for her. She started giggling and reached out helping him flip them over so the larger part was up. Then she put her arms in and danced away and around the Jeep to Stiles. 

"Dad! Let's go!" she called and then was in front of Derek again holding out a hand. "C'mon, Uncle Derek." He allowed himself to be pulled toward the building, giving Stiles wide eyes when he fell into step next to them. 

"She's a bit much. I'm sorry," Stiles said, looking like he meant the words even as his eyes sparkled with mischief. 

"Reminds me of someone," Derek returned, smiling when Stiles scoffed in mock offense. 

Once they were inside, donating a couple of dollars to the center as an admittance fee, they let Claudia run around on her own and purchased a couple of cups of coffee, sitting at a couple of tables set up for parents. The silence stretched between them for a minute as they sipped at the water-downed coffee. "So, you're moving back?"

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, Scott finally talked me into coming home." He fiddled with the cup in his hands. "I didn't know you were still a part of Scott's pack."

Derek nodded. "You know that I was visiting Cora for a few months. On the way home, I decided to do a bit more traveling." He tilted his head. "Went through New York for a few days visiting some old friends."

"Just not me, huh?" His voice was quiet and his eyes were traveling the room when Derek looked up at him.

"I didn't think I'd be welcome." Derek swallowed as he heard Claudia squeal in laughter. "Figured you'd moved on."

Stiles scoffed. "I wasn't the one who left."

"You moved to New York!" Derek said, lowering his voice when people from the other tables looked at him.

"And left you a key," Stiles countered, keeping his voice low, his words stopping anything that Derek would have come up with to argue.

"You, what?" 

The sneer on Stiles' face was fierce . "Don't act dumb. You were off visiting Cora when I left, ignoring my texts, so I put a letter and a key on the kitchen counter in the loft. After five months of not hearing from you, I got the hint."

Derek ran his hands through his hair, trying to make sense of his words. Thinking back to when he'd returned to Beacon Hills and entered the loft to find the Pack waiting for him, pizza and movies at the ready. He'd paced the loft trying to find any traces of Stiles' scent, despite knowing he'd left. There should still have been something left with the loft having been closed up, but the only scent he'd picked up was bleach. When he'd questioned Scott, he'd said the Pack had cleaned it thinking it would have been painful for Derek and had honestly not been easy for any of them to smell Stiles when they'd missed him so much.

"I...I never saw it," he told Stiles, hoping his voice was enough to convince him he wasn't lying.

The sneer intensified for a moment before beginning to fade from his face. He looked over his shoulder and around the room, eyes softening when they found Claudia. "I wanted you to come with me," Stiles said. "The letter asked you to join me."

Every word that Derek wanted to say flew out of his head at the admission. He thought back to the last conversation they'd had before Derek had gone to visit Cora. Stiles had told him about the job in New York and Derek had wanted to ask Stiles to stay, their relationship was brand new at that point. They'd only been out on a few dates and by human standards it was too soon for a commitment but his wolf had been howling for one. He'd had to swallow down the pleas for Stiles not to leave and had instead told him to be safe and then fled not only Stiles' house but the country to keep himself from giving into the urge to beg Stiles to stay with him forever.

"I know we hadn't been dating long, hadn't even done more than exchange a few kisses, but, dude, I was so in love with you that leaving you was the hardest thing I'd ever done." His laugh was low and wet and when his eyes met Derek's they shone as a single tear spilled over his lashes and down his cheek. He reached up to rub it away, his hand hitting Derek's that was already there wiping away the tear. "I wanted you to ask me to stay. I would've stayed. I had another job offer here."

Derek opened his mouth and snapped it shut again as Stiles grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly. "Scott asked me to stay but I couldn't knowing you didn't want me enough to ask." His deep breath was shaky before he continued. "He told me I'd regret leaving but I thought he was being childish. He was right though, I regretted it every day."

"I wanted you to stay. I wanted to beg you. My wolf..." he trailed off as he looked around realizing how crowded the room was and then Claudia appeared at their sides, eyes narrowed as she looked between the two of them.

"Did you make my daddy cry?" she demanded, pinching Derek's arm.

"I did," Derek told her, flinching when she pinched him again. 

"He didn't mean, too, sweetie," Stiles told her, pulling her away from Derek but she still managed to get another pinch in before he did. "Stop that."

"No one hurts my daddy," she said, glaring at Derek and he jerked backward when her eyes flashed gold and he felt his own flash back in response.

"Claudia Cheyenne," Stiles growled lowly to her. "Humans."

"Sorry," she whispered. "You won't tell Uncle Scott, will you?"

"Well, I can keep a secret, but I don't know about Uncle Derek," Stiles said, teasing in his voice as he looked up at Derek, eyes filled with worry. 

Derek couldn't take his eyes off of Claudia, surprised he hadn't smelled the wolf on her or how she'd managed to control herself as well as she did for her young age. Every second that passed just brought more questions to mind, questions he couldn't ask in their present location. He was about to open his mouth to suggest they go somewhere else to talk when his phone went off in his pocket. 

Pulling it out, he saw Scott's name and gave a groan. "Hello?" he answered.

"Where are you?" Scott asked and Derek could hear the rest of the pack in the background. "We came back to your loft but you're not here."

"There's no food, either!" Erica called in the background and Derek shook his head imagining her tearing the place apart to find something to eat. Her second pregnancy was causing her to constantly be in search of a snack.

He started to answer but the phone was snatched from his hands by Claudia who giggled when Derek glared at her. "Uncle Scott!" she squealed and Derek heard Scott's hollow chuckle from the other end. He was going to tune out the conversation, but Stiles gestured with his hand to his ear before pointing to the phone so he tilted his head to listen.

"Where's your dad, sweetie?" Scott asked.

"He's right here talking to Uncle Derek," Claudia answered. "Why didn't you tell me that Derek was Uncle?" Derek was impressed by the stern tone to her voice.

"Claudia," he growled, the Alpha in the tone rolling over Derek as he prepared to take the phone from Claudia, certain she'd drop it after an order from her Alpha, but she gripped the phone tighter and jerked away from Derek and closer to Stiles.

"Uncle Scott," she retorted in a similar tone that caused a flair of pride to go through Derek and when he looked up, he saw a similar emotion on Stiles' face. 

"Let me talk to your father," Scott said and Claudia handed over the phone, rolling her eyes at Derek when Stiles took it.

Stiles didn't let Scott say anything when he put the phone to his ear, talking rapidly and with the authority he always held when laying out a plan. "Listen, Scott, Claudia and I ran into Derek and now we're going to grab some dinner and go back to my dad's and get caught up. Seems that there have been some," he looked up at Derek who knew his chin was on the floor but couldn't seem to close his mouth, " _ misunderstandings _ over the past that need to be worked out." 

He pulled the phone away, about to hand it back to Derek before pulling it back to his ear. "And after we've got things worked out with Derek to my satisfaction," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at Derek before continuing, "you and I are going to have a long talk about how to be a good friend. And a good Alpha." Derek looked away to track Claudia who had grown bored of the adults and was making the rounds of the room again, refusing to acknowledge the shiver that ran through him.

Scott started to ramble on the other end, but Stiles ended the call and tossed the phone back to Derek. "I've made assumptions about your feelings based on the little you said to me earlier," he said and Derek nodded.

"I can't say they are incorrect assumptions," Derek said, smiling and reaching for Stiles' hand, breathing out a sigh when their fingers tangled together. 

"We have a lot to talk about," Stiles commented, pulling Derek to stand. "I'm sure you have a lot of questions."

"So many I don't even know where to start," Derek said, smiling when Claudia ran over to them, wrapping her hands around their joined ones and pressing a kiss to Derek's knuckles before climbing up onto Derek's back and digging her heels into his hips like he was a horse.

"Just start anywhere and I'll do my best to answer," he said, laughing when Claudia pulled off her halo and put it on Derek's head, tapping it so it bounced in the air above his head.

The people milled around them, older people giving them soft smiles and one older woman winked at them as they passed, so the more serious questions would have to wait until they got back to Stiles' father's house, but he knew there was one question that had been rattling around in his head since he'd turned around and laid eyes on Claudia for the first time. "What the hell is she supposed to be?"

"I told you no one would get it, Peanut," Stiles said, poking her in the side until she giggled. "She saw the idea online and insisted because she thinks it's the silliest thing in the world. It's a pun costume."

Derek narrowed his eyes and looked over his shoulder at Claudia and her green avocado covered shirt and fluffy white wings before rolling his eyes up to the halo atop his own head. He groaned as the answer came to him. "No...there's no way," he said to Stiles, considering that maybe there had to be some Stilinski DNA in this kid.

"I'm Holy Guacamole!" she shouted before burying her face in Derek's neck, giggling while the people around them burst into laughter.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm josjournal over on tumblr. Come say 'Hi!'


End file.
